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Now I’m getting on shaky ground, right? I mean, to read my posts about healthy cooking, how to use cast iron, funny things my husband has done….. that’s good stuff right there. But now I bring up God. And Hell. Careful Preacher’s Wife, this could get uncomfortable!

First, let’s discuss that guy (or girl) in high school. You know, the one who never looked you square in the eyes, followed you around (at a distance of course) and showed up everywhere you were? Let’s name him/her Creeper. You knew Creeper had a crush on you. Creeper would stare at you from across the room. Creeper would eventually get up the nerve to talk to you or even ask you out. You weren’t interested so you said “No.” Then Creeper would call you. Or these days, text you. Creeper might even write you notes. The words “I’m not interested” really meant nothing. Creeper stalked you on social media. You wanted Creeper to leave you alone. You finally say “Get away from me!” slightly worried you’ll hurt Creepers feelings but enough is enough, right? Geesh! Leave me alone!

Now let’s shift gears here. Let’s shift to thinking about God. Keep reading – it all comes together in just a minute. From the beginning, God has been pursuing you. God has a desire for you to turn to Him – when things are good and when the road is rocky…. Heck, when the road turns into a cliff and you’re barely hanging on! He desires you. Matthew 11:28 says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He wants to hear from you – even though he’s omniscient (all knowing, having complete understanding). If you have kids, think about it this way. Don’t you know when your child is hurting? Don’t you know when they are upset about something or someone? I don’t know about you, but I love it when my child comes to me and confides in me. Whether she asks for advice or not, I love it when she opens up to me and shares with me even though I already know what is bothering her. I love putting my arms around her and comforting her. God is the same way – He loves it when we come to Him. His greatest desire is for us to want to be with Him. He wants to give us rest.

Alright, now let’s combine our two areas of discussion here. Creepers and God. And no, I’m not suggesting that God is a Creeper for goodness sakes! Stick with me here folks! God desires us. He wants us. But if you spend your whole life treating him like a Creeper telling Him “I’m not interested” then guess what? He respects your free will. He won’t force anything on you. Even Heaven. If you spend your life avoiding God, why in the world would He force you to go to Heaven where you will spend eternity with Him? He will brokenheartedly allow you to choose to spend eternity away from Him in Hell. He doesn’t send you there. He wants you to choose Him. But if He forces Himself on you, it’s no longer free will. It’s spiritual rape.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” He’s with you. So no matter how far you’ve run from Him or how much you’ve done to push him away, He’s there. Quietly waiting for you to turn to Him. Doesn’t matter who you’ve slept with, how much you had to drink last night, how high you may be right now reading this. He loves you. Doesn’t matter if you go to church every Sunday, serve in soup kitchens or give loads of money to charity. He loves you. You can’t get away from His love. But He will not force it on you. You have to choose it.

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Tammy Lanham is the wife of That Preacher Tommy Lanham, Momma to That cute little artist, Appolonya and that adorable engineer, Dylan. She homeschools them both. She is also the owner of Tammy Lanham Images. In her free time, she….. wait – she has no free time… nevermind.